How ShanX MedTech Won an €8.85M EU Tender to Build a Rapid Point of Care AST Device
- ›EIC-backed ShanX MedTech led a consortium awarded an €8.85 million EU tender to develop a rapid point of care antimicrobial susceptibility testing device.
- ›The tender was issued by DG HERA and HaDEA under EU4Health priorities and coordinated through a HaDEA contract HADEA/2025/CPN/0006.
- ›ShanX credits targeted support from the EIC Innovation Procurement Programme powered by SPIN4EIC for improving bid quality and consortium setup.
- ›The awarded project brings established clinical and industrial partners but faces the usual hurdles of clinical validation, regulatory approval, scale up, and market adoption.
- ›EIC and SPIN4EIC continue to offer procurement assistance, academies, matchmaking and an open call for EIC awardees to access similar services.
How ShanX MedTech Won an €8.85M EU Tender to Build a Rapid Point of Care AST Device
A consortium led by Dutch start up ShanX MedTech has been awarded a high value European contract to develop a rapid point of care antimicrobial susceptibility testing device. The award follows a competitive procurement launched by the European Commission’s Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority together with the European Health and Digital Executive Agency. The contract value is €8,850,000 and the procurement is part of a broader EU strategy to strengthen preparedness against health emergencies and tackle antimicrobial resistance.
What was awarded and who is involved
The tender was issued in line with policy priorities set by DG HERA and managed by HaDEA under the EU4Health programme. ShanX MedTech led a consortium that includes Aidian Oy, Biosurfit S.A., Unitron B.V. and Fundación para la Investigación Biomédica del Hospital Universitario Ramón y Cajal. The work funded by the contract will take the company’s proprietary AST technology through product development toward regulatory approval and clinical validation.
| Item | Details | Notes |
| Awarding authority | DG HERA and HaDEA | Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority priorities managed by the European Health and Digital Executive Agency |
| Contract reference | HADEA/2025/CPN/0006 | Work funded under EU4Health |
| Award value | €8,850,000 | Total value awarded to the ShanX-led consortium |
| Consortium lead | ShanX MedTech (Netherlands) | EIC-backed SME |
| Consortium partners | Aidian Oy, Biosurfit S.A., Unitron B.V., Fundación para la Investigación Biomédica del Hospital Universitario Ramón y Cajal | Mixed industrial and clinical partners |
Why this procurement matters
Antimicrobial resistance remains a priority for the EU and for health systems worldwide. Faster antimicrobial susceptibility testing at or close to the point of care promises to shorten the time between sample collection and targeted therapy. That can reduce inappropriate antibiotic use and improve patient outcomes. The procurement explicitly sought a device that can deliver rapid, reliable AST results across multiple specimen types and infectious agents and that can integrate in clinical pathways.
How the EIC Innovation Procurement Programme supported the bid
ShanX MedTech reports that hands on support from the EIC Innovation Procurement Programme, implemented through SPIN4EIC, materially improved the quality and coherence of its submission. The programme offers a mix of free trainings and bespoke procurement assistance. Services include mapping relevant tender opportunities, assessing tender requirements and bid qualification, support with consortium formation and bid structuring, legal and intellectual property advice, and document reviews.
The EIC BAS framework promotes these services to EIC awardees and related beneficiaries. SPIN4EIC runs Innovation Procurement Academies and an open assistance action where EIC innovators can apply for tailored support. The EIC Business Acceleration Services also tracks outcomes from procurement support as part of wider efforts to turn grant and prize winners into market facing companies.
ShanX MedTech’s technology development and partnerships
ShanX describes its platform as an in vitro diagnostics device that can be applied to a range of indications, microorganisms and specimen types. The company is pursuing parallel clinical feasibility and validation projects in collaboration with academic and clinical partners.
| Project or support | Partner or funder | Purpose |
| Feasibility clinical validation for UTI | Erasmus Medical Center and AMR GLOBAL, funded by Health~Holland LSHM22031 | Clinical feasibility testing for urinary tract infections |
| Multi specimen feasibility | Catharina Hospital and Eindhoven University of Technology, OPZuid STIM-00945 | Feasibility testing on urine, blood and cerebrospinal fluid and progression toward implementation |
| Innovatiekrediet IK25035 | Netherlands Enterprise Agency RVO | Repayable government loan to advance device development |
| HADEA/2025/CPN/0006 | HaDEA funded under EU4Health | Product development toward regulatory approval coordinated by the ShanX-led consortium |
ShanX’s public material notes that the product is not yet regulatory approved and is not available for sale. The company has secured a mix of grants, cofunding and repayable public loans to fund development and validation work.
Consortium leadership and advisors
ShanX has built a team of experienced executives and scientific advisors to guide technology development and clinical validation. The advisory and management roster includes clinicians and diagnostics veterans with deep experience in microbiology, in vitro diagnostics and point of care systems.
| Name | Role | Background highlights |
| Dr. Sophia E. Shanko | Chief Executive Officer and founder | PhD in magnetic micromixing for POC diagnostics. Founded ShanX following a personal family experience with mismanaged infection |
| Dr. ir. Henk Stapert | Chief Technology Officer | Serial entrepreneur with experience bringing diagnostic devices to market and a background in medical device R and D |
| Dr. ir. Ardjan van der Linden | Chief Scientific Officer | PhD in synthetic and chemical biology. Research background includes work at the Wyss Institute |
| Prof. Dr. Dr. Alex van Belkum | IVD Strategy Lead | Veteran of clinical microbiology and IVD product development, including leadership roles at bioMerieux |
| Dr. Rafael Cantón | Clinical microbio advisor | Head of Clinical Microbiology at Ramón y Cajal and EUCAST clinical data coordinator |
| Marcel van Kasteel | Market and diagnostics advisor | 30 years in diagnostics market development including executive roles at Beckman Coulter and Philips Handheld Diagnostics |
| Dr. Rogier Hopstaken | General practice and POCT advisor | Expert in point of care testing and antibiotic stewardship with implementation experience in routine general practice |
Why the award is only a milestone
Winning a procurement contract from the European institutions is an important validation and a source of programmatic funding. It does not guarantee a product on the market. The consortium must still deliver on technical milestones, complete clinical validation across specimen types, demonstrate compliance with regulatory frameworks for in vitro diagnostics in the EU and other markets, and scale manufacturing and quality processes. Securing reimbursement pathways and clinician adoption are separate challenges that determine commercial success.
Rapid AST tools also face scientific and clinical scrutiny. A faster result that is less accurate can cause harm by steering clinicians to ineffective therapies. Regulators and clinical end users will look for robust evidence across multiple pathogen types and clinical contexts. Integration with clinical workflows is another practical hurdle. Finally, public procurement contracts commonly include performance conditions and reporting obligations that can be exacting for early stage firms.
What EIC innovators can take from this case
ShanX’s case highlights several actionable themes for startups looking to engage with innovation procurement. First, aligning a technology early with a clearly defined target product profile improves relevance to buyers. Second, structured support around tender processes helps companies assemble stronger bids and compliant consortia. Third, combining public grants, repayable innovation loans and procurement contracts can create a staged finance pathway from development to regulatory submission. Finally, clinical and industrial partners are important to share expertise and capacity.
A balanced assessment
The award to ShanX MedTech is a clear signal that EU actors are willing to fund development of rapid AST at or near the point of care. This aligns with policy aims to strengthen preparedness and to tackle antimicrobial resistance. The procurement support ecosystem appears to be active and to provide real assistance to bidders. At the same time, stakeholders should avoid equating contract awards with product market readiness. The real test for ShanX will be in meeting clinical performance standards, navigating regulatory pathways, scaling reliably, and showing that faster AST changes prescribing and outcomes in real world clinical practice.
For EIC beneficiaries the lesson is that procurement markets are an important route to funding and market entry. But they require targeted preparation and the right mix of partners and evidence generation. Programmes such as SPIN4EIC can lower procedural barriers, but technical, regulatory and commercial risks remain at the core of bringing diagnostic innovations to patients.
Further information and resources
ShanX MedTech and consortium partners have public material describing their projects and funding awards. The EIC Business Acceleration Services and SPIN4EIC provide open calls and training. Interested innovators can monitor SPIN4EIC announcements, apply to the open assistance action, join the EIC Innovation Procurement Academy and follow the EIC BAS newsletter. This article is a report based on public statements and programme material and should not be taken as an official endorsement by any EU body.